Forces of Nature
by wanderingmindstravelfar
Summary: What if Rey hadn't made it off Starkiller Base? At least, not with Chewie. As Kylo Ren's prisoner, Rey uncovers the daunting truth about her past. And against all reason, the more she learns about the malicious commander of The First Order, the more she finds herself drawn to him. Rey/Kylo Ren romance, alternate ending and continuation of The Force Awakens
1. Chapter 1

As the ground trembles open ferociously, Rey meets Kylo's looming gaze from across the widening ravine. Her heart pounds and her chest is flooded with a mixture of intense emotion. Kylo's expression is not one of defeat, but of rage, curiosity and determination. Despite the initial relief washing over her, Rey feels an inexplicable pull toward her enemy. They would meet again. This much she knew. For they had unfinished business.

With a single heaving breath, Rey deactivates her lightsaber and calms her nerves enough to begin thinking about escape. She turns and sprints forward through the trees, disheartened by the explosive blasts echoing in the distance.

" _You can do this, you can do this, you can do this!_ " she repeats in her head over and over, fueled by adrenaline.

Just then, the familiar hum of the Millennium Falcon comes to the rescue. "Chewie!" Rey sighs in relief, running faster toward her savior and comrade. The Wookie lands and exits the ship, sensing Rey's distress.

"Finn is injured!" she shouts in desperation, leading Chewie towards his motionless body in the snow.

She checks his pulse again for reassurance. "He's okay," she says, more to herself than anyone else. She nods her head up and down anxiously, trying to maintain composure. "Okay, you grab his arms, I'll grab his feet," Rey instructs, and together they heave Finn towards safety.

"Almost there!" Rey shouts encouragingly as they trudge through the cold and the snow. But the familiar, electrifying buzz of a lightsaber being drawn causes Rey to freeze in her tracks. She is paralyzed with both fear and anticipation.

"You must've known you could not get away that easily…" Kylo taunts, his voice amused, but brimming with a wild fury.

Chewie roars defensively, but Rey immediately protests. "Get Finn on the ship!" she orders. "Go! He needs help. Don't wait for me!"Chewbacca hesitates, but quickly hoists the boy into his arms and follows instructions.

Rey turns to confront her enemy only to find Kylo Ren practically in her face.

"Huhhhh," she gasps, but it's too late. He'd caught her off guard.

"I told you I could teach you," Kylo hisses in her ear through gritted teeth. "Lesson number one. Friends are nothing but a distraction!"

Kylo force-chokes her as he confiscates Luke's saber. Rey puts up a fight, but he was right- she is distracted by worry and by exhaustion. Rey looks into the eyes of her enemy, trying her best to harness the light which had fueled her earlier. Her efforts are noteworthy, but she is unable to overcome him.

"Stop fighting!" Kylo growls, growing impatient.

And she wants to. It pains her to admit it, but Rey just wants it to be over.

She feels her eyelids growing heavy and the suppression of oxygen interrupts her focus.

The sound of the Falcon taking off in the distance is oddly comforting. " _Finn..._ " Rey whispers before slipping into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Rey notices upon regaining consciousness is the sound of her own breathing- slow and labored. _"Where am I?"_ It takes a moment to realize that her own eyelids are responsible for the all-encompassing darkness. With great effort, she opens her eyes to a stark interior of white and grey- clearly a First Order vessel. Rey sits up hastily and quickly regrets it. Her vision is hazy and dreamlike.

" _Ughhh,_ " she sighs audibly, leaning back on her elbows. Her head spins.

A voice breaks the silence like a distant echo. "Alert the commander that the prisoner has awaken."

" _Commander? ...Kylo. No!"_ Rey thinks groggily. But there is no putting up a fight. Not in her current state.

" _Close the door, don't let him in. Close the door, don't let him in. Close the door, don't let him in_ ," Rey chants internally. Her senses aren't sharp enough however, to harness the power of the force.

Minutes later she hears the rhythmic beat of determined footsteps approaching. Rey imagines the slender, black, hooded figure of her enemy looming behind her like something out of a nightmare. The door slides shut abruptly and she suddenly feels panicked. Trapped. Hopeless.

There's an uncertain silence in the air as they each wait for the other to speak.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Rey," promises a deep, rumbling, all-too-familiar voice as Kylo steps into view. He senses her rampant unease and circles the girl slowly- methodically- with his hands behind his back. "Surely you've gathered that from the fact that you're alive and well, sitting here unrestrained."

To be honest, she hadn't considered it. Not with the incessant throbbing in her head.

"We've given you a mild sedative," Kylo explains. Rey shuffles into a sitting position. No wonder she felt so weak. "I bear you no ill-will. I'm just here to talk."

Rey shoots the leader of The First Order a look of pure hatred and disgust. "I have nothing to say to you," she snaps, shaking her head.

"Oh, and here I thought you might be interested to know that FN-2187 is alive... I guess I was mistaken."

"Finn?" Rey asks hopefully in a small voice, trying her best to suppress her relief. Kylo could very well be lying, but the mere prospect of Finn's survival made her feel better.

"The traitor," Kylo remarks sharply under his breath, "is recovering under the supervision of my own mother," he rasps with contempt. "Let's hope she cares for him more than she did for me."

Rey's expression hardens. She would have given anything for a family, and knowing that Kylo had intentionally destroyed his made her absolutely ill with resentment. "You ungrateful little-"

Kylo raises a hand and stops her mid sentence. "Careful Rey. Let's keep a level head and maybe, just maybe, you and I can be friends."

Rey's jaw falls open in bewilderment. "I thought friends were just 'a distraction' from power and control? Because that's what _really_ matters isn't it?" she accuses mockingly.

Kylo smirks with pride. "Taking my advice to heart, are we?"

"Never," Rey spits, disgusted by his smug expression. "I'm merely noting your hypocrisy."

"I'm not a monster Rey," Kylo states plainly, "despite your opinion of me. I'm just a man with an agenda, not so unlike yourself," he adds, his eyes running up and down her body swiftly. "More or less."

"We are _nothing_ alike," Rey insists sternly.

Kylo leans in mere inches from her face, and Rey's breathing hitches. There's something familiar in his proximity. She can sense it- almost like a memory- and is immediately overcome by an irrational sense of warmth and security.

"You'd be surprised," Kylo breathes elusively, gazing deep into her eyes before exiting the room.


	3. Chapter 3

As Kylo walks away, Rey doesn't turn around. But she can feel the distance increasing between them, and in the absence of his energy, an uncontrollable sense of dread erupts in the pit of her stomach. Rey shudders in confusion. The comfort she'd experienced just moments before had vanished as quickly as it came.

Something is wrong. It's almost as if someone else's emotions were being projected onto her body. Rey lets her head fall into her hands and thinks of Jakku- the only home she had ever known. She smiles lightly, and in time, the invasive feelings seem to fade away.

* * *

After hours of silence, the drugs wear off and Rey becomes restless. She paces around the small room, her eyes repeatedly drawn to the switch on the wall which controls the door.

She is tempted.

Rey imagines the pair of stormtroopers that were inevitably stationed just outside in stoic anonymity. She thinks back to her last escape and how empowering it had been to will another living soul into action. Her confidence soars.

She'd done it once. She could do it again.

But they'd expect it this time. Surely The First Order would've taken precautions. After playing through every imaginable scenario in her mind for what seems like an eternity, Rey's curiosity gets the best of her. She doesn't have a weapon, but she doesn't need one.

With every fiber of her being engaged, Rey reaches for the button on the wall. Her fingers glaze over its smooth, metallic surface as she envisions the door opening. She presses it.

Nothing.

Rey bites her lower lip nervously and takes a calming breath. She raises her hands in the air before her, and an indescribably subtle energy flows through her fingertips.

"Open the door," she murmurs optimistically, and with a hiss, the large portal begins to slide free.

Rey's success is short lived however, as she finds Kylo standing opposite her expectantly. Her spirits fall, uncertain as to whether it had been her who opened the door in the first place.

"Going somewhere?" Kylo inquires methodically. He isn't wearing the mask, and Rey's attention is immediately drawn to the searing red wound obstructing the left side of his face.

" _Oh my god, I did that..._ " she reflects absent-mindedly, thinking back to their battle in the forest. Rey couldn't help but feel a small pang of guilt and embarrassment, letting her gaze linger much longer than necessary.

" _I assume that's as close to an apology as I'm going to get..._ " It was Kylo's voice, but he hadn't uttered a word. Casually, he steps into the room and closes the door. Rey waves a finger in his face defensively. "You stay out of my head!"

Ignoring her desperate demand, Kylo reaches up carefully, takes a strand of her hair between two fingers and slowly sweeps it back out of her face. "Relax scavenger," he breathes. "Nobody could get into that pretty little mind of yours if you'd just let me teach you a thing or two."

Rey cringes in disgust. "There is nothing of value to be learned from you."

"If you say so," her captor states easily, but neither of them budge.

Rey meets Kylo's taunting downward gaze with confidence. He only stands half a head taller, but seems to have every advantage- including anticipating her actions.

"How did you know I would leave?" Rey presses, though she already knows the answer.

"We have a connection," he asserts firmly. "I sensed it." And almost instantaneously he can feel Rey pushing him out of her head. "Not to worry, I can only skim the outermost surface of your thoughts and feelings without using more... _intrusive_ methods," he sneers.

Rey lifts her arm to slap him but Kylo seizes her wrist forcefully.

She gasps.

He'd never touched her before- a fact she became acutely aware of in this moment. But it isn't the feel of his cold, strong fingers against Rey's skin that catches her attention. No. It's the ferocious burning in her head. A sensation she'd only ever experienced once before: when she'd touched Luke's lightsaber.

Kylo maintains a firm grasp on Rey as a series of fragmented images- broken memories- flood her mind.

 _An unexplained goodbye._

 _Confusion._

 _A boy offering his hand._

 _Joy._

 _An unexpected betrayal._

 _Fear._

 _A departing ship._

 _Nothing._

"Ahhhhhh," she cries aloud in protest, and with tremendous effort, Rey yanks herself free of his grip. Kylo meets her eyes with a neutral expression. She steps backward, her breathing ragged.

"Don't _ever_ touch me again."


	4. Chapter 4

**(Thanks for reading guys! I appreciate the feedback and I am so pleased that you're enjoying it!)**

* * *

"You saw something, didn't you?" Kylo prompts.

Rey shakes her head in denial. It couldn't be true. Surely this was some sort of mind trick. She'd only caught small glimpses- vignettes really- but it was enough to shatter any illusions of the life she'd dreamed of as a child. It was enough to send her body reeling into a trembling panic.

"I know you're scared," the commander observes, taking a cautious step forward. "But I also know you're intrigued…"

Rey looks down at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes. "No," she claims unconvincingly. "No, I don't want any part of this. I just-" her voice fades into a whisper. "I just want to go back to Jakku."

Kylo watches her intently, unsure of how to proceed as the room falls into an empty silence. "We both know that's not true." He can feel her fighting back tears as if they were his own. Her strength wavers, but he knows she can handle it. She just needs some persuasion.

"Rey," Kylo speaks her name with a gentility like never before. "I can give you the answers you seek. But you have to _trust_ me."

She immediately opens her mouth to object, but Kylo anticipates her hasty retort and presses on before she can get a word in.

"I'm not asking you to ally with me," he clarifies. "I'm asking you to have faith in your instincts, _Reina_."

Rey shivers involuntarily. "What?"

"You heard me," Kylo replies nonchalantly. "Your real name… is Reina."

Her back stiffens. "How could possibly know-?"

"-because we've met before," he finishes urgently. "I know you've seen it. And I know you don't want to believe it, but you can _feel_ it."

Rey did feel it, and she wanted to run. Toward hims. Away from him. Towards the truth. Away from the truth. She wanted to run in a million different directions all at once, but instead stands still; frozen in place; going nowhere. Her entire existence up to this point had consisted of waiting for the past to catch up with her. And now that moment- that fearsome, wonderful moment- had finally arrived.

Hot, salty tears trickle down Rey's face, despite her best efforts at maintaining composure.

Kylo takes initiative, closing the distance between them as he removes his gloves. He looks into her eyes as if asking permission to continue, and is pleased when Rey doesn't object. Ever so gently, Kylo takes her head in his hands, brushing his thumb lightly over her cheek. She tenses beneath his fingers.

"Relax," he instructs, letting her feel his own serenity. "It only hurts if you fight it."

And he was right. Rey closes her eyes and welcomes the visions of her past.

A flash of white takes her out of reality.

 _Rey is small- five, maybe six. Too young to comprehend what was going on at the time._

 _She stands in the corner of an enormous chamber, dark and deserted except for the two men conversing in hushed tones to her left. One of them has light, flowing hair and tanned skin while the other is older- hardened with age, but familiar. Her father? A relative? It's impossible to say._

 _Unable to make out their conversation, Rey loses interest and admires the infinite stone walls and massive columns, overwhelmed and confused by her new surroundings._

 _The older man eventually approaches her, kneeling down to her level._

" _I have to leave now. But it's okay," he assures her. "Master Luke is going to take good care of you."_

 _Rey furrows her brow but nods timidly, peering sideways at her new guardian. He has a long robe and a warm smile._

" _It's nice to meet you Reina," Luke says encouragingly. "I'm so happy you're here." And as he speaks, she somehow knows everything will be okay._

" _Mind him well, and I know you will do great things," the first man says. And with that, he kisses her forehead, bids Luke farewell, and disappears._

Rey pulls back to reality- she has so many questions! But Kylo urges her to be still and keep and open mind.

" _Uncle Luke, Uncle Luke!" A young, raven-haired boy approaches in a hurry. "I did it, I finally did it!" He announces excitedly before noticing Rey. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"_

" _It's no matter," Luke assures him. "In fact, I'd like you to meet our newest student._ _Reina, this is Ben."_

 _Ben is older than her by several years, but still a boy. He's slim in build with light skin and dark eyes._

 _"Hi," he greets out of formality, clearly eager to share something with his uncle._

The vision becomes hazy then, as Kylo partially represses the memory. He wasn't ready to share everything just yet.

 _"Why don't you take Reina and show her around?" Luke suggests._

 _"Okay," Ben agrees, much more enthused than before. He smiles and extends a hand toward Rey._

 _She looks up at him shyly through her eyelashes, unsure of herself._

 _"It's okay," Ben coaxes lightly. "You can trust me."_

 _And without hesitation, she reaches up and takes his hand._

The memory ends abruptly and Rey's eyes fly open.

"Ben?" she utters apprehensively, testing his name on her lips for the first time in over a decade.

" _Not anymore_ ," Kylo thinks indifferently, unsure whether she could hear him.


	5. Chapter 5

"I... I don't understand," Rey finally manages, wholly overwhelmed. The memories of her past seem to have corrupted the energy in the room. There is warmth where there should be hostility; admiration where there should be repulsion. Her mind and body are grossly misaligned, but at the same time she can _feel_ the reality of her past anchoring her like never before.

She can also feel Kylo. Not his thoughts, but his general presence and demeanor. And not in the innate way we all perceive others. This was different; this was... intimate. Sure, he was standing before her, plain as day. But Rey can't shake the feeling that even if they were half a galaxy apart, he would still be tethered to her. He would _always_ be tethered to her.

Rey feels flustered, panicked, and slightly claustrophobic at this realization. Her cheeks grow hot as she concentrates on breathing evenly.

Kylo observes her intently like a physician would study a patient. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it," he orders, both irritated and mildly amused by her obstinance.

She obeys.

"Now I want you to imagine the room," Kylo instructs.

There is something oddly soothing about the low, controlled tone of his voice- when he isn't making threats, that is.

"Build it in your mind. The walls…" he pauses, allowing her time to follow along. "The ceiling… the door… Imagine everything in as much detail as you possibly can. The texture of the floor… the color of the light… the temperature of the air… Can you feel it?" he asks.

Rey nods slowly.

"Open your eyes."

The frenzy of unresolved feelings had faded into the background. It was just her and Kylo now, and Rey had never felt more present.

"Better?" he inquires coolly, though Rey doubts he actually cares.

"Yes," she breathes. "But-"

"It's normal-" he interrupts, "-for the untrained mind to experience distress. The key is in finding a way to redirect your consciousness. Reconstruction is a crude but effective form of meditation."

Rey nods subtly, embarrassed to find herself inadvertently under his tutelage.

"So back when we were kids, you and I were…"

Kylo feels her repress the word 'friends'. "We were trained together," he offers as an alternative, unsure whether she had drawn that conclusion for herself. If her wide eyes were any indication, she hadn't.

"Trained? By _Luke Skywalker_?!" Her voice is laced heavily with genuine wonder and disbelief.

"Yes. It was clear that you were force sensitive at a very young age."

"Clear to who? My family?" she asks, hopeful.

Something changes in Kylo's demeanor. He seems nervous, and Rey can feel him pull away.

"Do you know who they are? Please show me more," she urges.

"I can't replenish your memories all at once at the risk of you not being able to separate fact from fiction. You saw what just happened. It will take some time for you to absorb-"

" _Tell_ me then," she pleads. "Something, anything! Any little detail."

"That's not how this is going to work!" Kylo snaps abruptly. "You don't get dictate things. You'll take what I'm willing to give."

Rey stands frozen in a stunned silence. For a moment, however brief, she'd forgotten they were enemies. But Kylo's temper serves as a quick reminder of the truth: she can't trust him. In retrospect though, she could see that she shouldn't have pushed him.

Before either of them deign to speak, the electronic door hisses open suddenly and a stormtrooper marches in. "General Hux on the com for you, Sir."

Kylo doesn't so much take his eyes off of Rey. "Tell him I'll be just a moment."

"The general says it's urgent-"

"A MOMENT I SAID!" Kylo shouts sternly.

Rey cringes.

"Yes sir." The stormtrooper exits obediently.

Kylo Ren carefully dons his mask and moves to follow his inferior officer out the door, but stops short. His hands are balled into fists.

"Your hair," he muses unexpectedly over his shoulder.

Rey is baffled at the obscurity of his statement. "What?"

"Your hair," he repeats. "It was lighter when we met. Golden. I told you that you were like a little... _ray_ of light." She couldn't see his face, but the corners of Kylo's mouth twitch upward in something dangerously close to the beginnings of a smile. "From that point forward, you insisted everyone call you Rey. But your real name is Reina. Reina Kenobi."

And with that, Kylo takes his leave.


	6. Chapter 6

The commander curses himself silently as the door slides shut, feeling flustered beyond his control. He'd spent years pushing those memories of Rey to the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind, in the hopes that one day they might disappear and he could be reborn anew. Much to his dismay, Kylo had never been able to extinguish them completely. Every now and then a memory would resurface, trickling through the cracks of his subconscious, haunting but repressible. With Rey back in the picture however, Kylo suddenly felt as if he were drowning in visions and emotions of the past. But the more he tried to rid himself of Ben Solo, the more Kylo became acutely aware of a single, unwavering truth: that he didn't _want_ to forget… and he hated himself for that.

Pushing his abundant insecurities aside, Kylo strides down the hall with a seemingly confident gait. A trooper steps forward, offering up a small communication device. Ren waves him off, in favor of speaking with General Hux directly. Besides, the walk across ship would give him a chance to clear his head. Or it would have, if Kylo had any self control. But all he can do is think of Rey.

His mind involuntarily wanders back to the day they'd met. Even as a child Rey had been innately distrustful. Kylo recalls having to coax her out of her shell by showing off his force skills. He could still imagine Rey's melodic laugh as he had levitated that sand lizard. Things were so much simpler back then, and a small part of him wishes they could get back to that- the raw simplicity of it all.

* * *

Minutes later, Kylo joins the general at his post, neither of them so much as acknowledging the other as they look out upon the void of deep space before them. With both The Resistance and The First Order in shambles, the stars feel more like a graveyard than a field of infinite possibility.

"Any progress?" Hux sneers doubtfully.

"You would do well not to concern yourself with my business," Kylo retorts dryly.

Hux turns to face the commander. "Your business _is_ my business Ren. If you fail it's on both our heads."

Kylo resents his competence being brought into question. "What do you want?" he growls, growing impatient.

Hux motions something at the troopers in the doorway. They nod and exit knowingly, leaving the two men alone.

"The supreme leader has moved up the timeline," Hux explains.

Kylo stiffens, thankful his counterpart can't see the concern that was presently rendered across his face.

The general eyes him with an unusual intensity. "You have a week to break her, Ren. If the girl chooses not to cooperate, Snoke wants her disposed of. And there _will_ be consequences."

"It's impossible to navigate the ways of the force in a week," Kylo states resolutely.

Hux looks at his comrade, unsettled and uncertain. "If you ask me, I'd say he's rather counting on that."

Kylo narrows his gaze, reaches out with the force and grabs the general roughly. "What are you not telling me?" he demands.

Hux fights back, but only so much as to keep his dignity intact. "S-Snoke," he wheezes, "is prepared t- to replace us if you fail. He feels you're too personally involved to recognize the stakes."

Kylo releases his grasp and flings Hux away, infuriated. Eleven years. _Eleven years_ of his life he'd dedicated to The First Order and the Knights of Ren, only to be replaced now? No... this was unacceptable. Kylo is seething with anger and confusion.

"This is it Ren. You said the girl has unusual ability... I suggest you figure something out- for all our sakes."

"Don't tell me how to do my job," Kylo reprimands sternly. On his way out the door, Ren reaches out and latches onto the general's mind with ease. "And you will tell no one what we spoke of here today."

"I will tell no one what we spoke of here today," Hux repeats robotically. The commander scoffs at how easily it is to manipulate him.

* * *

Kylo immediately storms off to his private chambers, removing his mask and slumping dejectedly against the door as it slides shut behind him. His breathing is ragged and uneasy as he contemplates what seems to be a hopeless situation.

"Arrrrrrrrawww!" He roars, hurling his helmet across the room in a fit of rage. Kylo's hands tremble uncontrollably as he brushes his hair back in distress. He knows Rey will never join the dark side. What's worse is he doesn't _want_ her to, and he resents her for the unyielding hold she has over him. Regardless, he needed to make some decisions about how to move forward. He could kill Rey, and save his own skin. But if sacrificing his father hadn't snuffed out the light for good, then killing his childhood friend would surely not have the desired effect. It would only grant him borrowed time. The real problem, Kylo could see now, was within himself. His inability to conform to one side had already caused countless deaths and would likely result in many more. What the commander needed was a way out; and like it or not, that way out was through Rey.

* * *

Lost in her own thoughts, and attempting to piece together the broken images of her past, Rey neither hears nor senses Kylo as he enters the room unannounced. Ren stays back, resisting the urge to enter her unknowing mind. It was easy enough to guess what she must be thinking about.

When she does finally turn around, Rey gasps at his unexpected presence, startled to near-debilitation.

"My god, you can't just show up like that!" she declares defensively. But her agitation almost immediately fades as Rey notices something off in her captor's demeanor.

Eyes down, unmasked and exposed, Rey had never seen Kylo so vulnerable. Even his posture lacked its usual breadth and intensity, as if his sense of purpose had changed since they last spoke.

Eventually he clasps his hands behind his back and begins to pace the room thoughtfully, making Rey uneasy.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Kylo finally asks, his tone direct and sincere- a strange way to open the conversation.

Rey looks at him carefully as she chooses her words. "I like to think we have the power to change our fate. Especially if we see ourselves headed in the wrong direction."

Kylo smirks with wry amusement. "I used to think so too… but I've since learned that the universe is much too vast for coincidence. Especially if we're all supposedly acting of our own free will. No, I am inclined to believe that you and I were reunited for a reason."

Rey's eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. "I hardly think that being taken prisoner by an enemy you didn't realize you had any connection to can be considered a 'reunion'."

"I can see why you might think that." Kylo looks Rey in the eyes, and there is a kind of ardent intelligence in his face that Rey can't help but admire. "Of all the planets in every corner of the galaxy..." he begins, "what are the odds that information sought by The First Order would end up on Jakku? And of all the people on Jakku, who could've imagined that _you_ would be the one to intercept the droid?" His voice is riddled with genuine curiosity.

Rey shrugs, unable to offer any sort of plausible explanation. "Look, I didn't ask for this-"

"Oh but you did," Kylo interjects.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What do you want from me?" Rey asks impatiently.

"Nothing but your cooperation."

"I think I've been more than cooperative given the circumstances."

"And I hope that continues..." Ren remarks, holding out Luke's lightsaber indicatively.

Rey doesn't budge.

"Take it."

"I don't want it," she declares proudly.

Kylo swallows, willing himself to remain calm. "You will take it, and you will use it," he orders.

Rey shakes her head insistently.

"Are you afraid of your abilities?"

"No."

"Then listen to me, Rey!" Kylo grabs her shoulders with authority. "You are going to take this lightsaber and you are going to let me teach you."

"Why?" she asks stubbornly. "Why would I do that? And better yet, why would _you_ do that?!"

"Because I WILL NOT ABANDON YOU AGAIN!" Kylo shouts violently. His body shakes with anger as echoes of his voice reverberate against the walls. He thrusts the lightsaber into Rey's hand against her will. "Now take it- before I change my mind!"

Kylo closes his eyes and massages his brow in frustration.

"Wh- what are you talking about?" Rey asks tentatively, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"All those years alone on a desert planet… all that _pain,_ the unwavering hunger... the sleepless nights craving a sense of belonging and waiting for some faceless ally to return for you..."

Kylo pauses and clenches his jaw. She was going to find out sooner or later. "You were waiting for _me,_ Rey. I'm the one who left you on Jakku."


End file.
